We exited the building and walked down the block to the Italian restaurant with Elizabeth leading the way. I pointed out the coffee shop on the corner, telling Travis that was where we got our caffeine fix in the morning. He nodded in approval, and Elizabeth told him about a few other places that we passed. She stopped suddenly as we reached our lunch destination—a little Italian place, complete with a red and white checkered awning above the door.
“Here we are,” she said, gesturing toward the restaurant.
“The food smells terrific,” Travis said as he pulled the door open and motioned for us all to walk inside. Elizabeth stepped in first, followed by Marissa and me.
“He’s so polite!” Marissa whispered to me as she walked past.
“Shhh!” I hissed back at her. That was all I needed—Marissa to start up again over lunch about Travis. She’d prattled on all morning about how I needed to start dating again, evidently convinced that Travis would be perfect for me. Conveniently, she hadn’t mentioned him after they’d interviewed all the candidates a few weeks ago, but knowing her, she’d probably forgotten about him and spotted some other cute guy right after they met. It didn’t matter anyway though, because while I had noticed Travis last night at the art gallery, I wasn’t about to start dating a coworker or even waste my time discussing it.
Elizabeth gave her name to the hostess, and we all followed her to a booth in the back. The restaurant was busy with the lunchtime crowd, and most of the tables were already filled. Laughter erupted around us, and patrons seemed to get even louder as they talked over one another to be heard. The air was filled with the heavy aroma of lasagna and garlic bread, and I realized how hungry I was as I slid into the booth. Marissa made sure to sit next to Elizabeth, leaving Travis nowhere to sit but beside me. I took off my coat as he started to sit down.
“Do you want me to hang that up for you?” Travis asked politely in his deep voice.
“Sure, thanks,” I said, passing my coat to him. He hung it from one of the hooks attached to the side of our booth. I realized that he wasn’t wearing a coat and briefly wondered if he was cold. He hadn’t been wearing a coat when I first saw him this morning either. As he slid in beside me, I caught a whiff of the faint scent of his aftershave. It smelled masculine but not overpowering, kind of a clean, outdoorsy scent. His broad shoulders towered over mine, and despite the fact that he was wearing a suit, I could tell that he was in good shape. I actually felt a little small sitting next to his large, athletic frame, but in a good way, like I would be safe beside him.
“Aren’t you cold, Travis?” Marissa asked, wondering exactly what I had just a moment earlier.
“No, it’s not that cold out today,” he said with a shrug. “I’m from New York.”
Marissa laughed and shook her head. “It’s freezing outside—like 40 degrees or something.”
“That’s not exactly freezing,” Elizabeth pointed out.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” Marissa said. “I’m sure Maddy agrees with me.”
“That’s true, it’s a good thing you’re not sharing an office with her,” Elizabeth said, eyeing me knowingly.
“Why, you don’t like New York?” Travis asked, looking over at me with an easy smile.
“No, no, New York is fine,” I said. “I’m just always cold. I have a space heater next to my desk.”
“Our office is freezing,” Marissa agreed.
“Well, as long as you don’t have a problem with New York, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine,” Travis teased. I felt myself blushing a little under his gaze, but I could see that his dark eyes had a gleam of humor in them. As I finally looked away, I wondered if anyone else noticed that I had been staring into them for just a bit too long.
The waitress came over then and handed out the menus. As Travis opened his, I noticed his strong hands, the way the tendons bulged out beneath his tan skin. He must exercise outdoors even in the winter. How else would he be so tan in the middle of January? The waitress took our drink orders and returned a few minutes later with our beverages and a basket of bread. Travis’s fingers brushed against mine as he passed the basket to me, and I felt a surge of warmth rush through my body. I didn’t even know him, and here I was already finding myself attracted to him. He was obviously handsome, but there was something about his warm personality that I liked as well. He seemed so at ease around people, and it felt like he was being genuine when he spoke. I remembered when he shook my hand this morning, how he focused solely on me.
We each placed our order, deciding to get stuffed mushrooms and bruschetta to share as appetizers. Travis and I both ordered the lasagna, while Marissa got a Caesar salad and Elizabeth selected chicken parmesan.
“See, you guys do have something in common, despite your differences in opinion on the weather,” Elizabeth joked.
“Yes, we both have good taste,” I agreed, “even if Travis doesn’t understand what cold weather is.” Travis feigned surprise as I grinned, unable to keep a straight face.
“I’ll have to take you to New York sometime,” he said dryly. “Then you’ll understand what a real winter is like.”
“Did you just move down here?” Marissa asked, leaning one elbow on the table and resting her chin on her hand.
“Yeah, just over the weekend actually. I’ve got boxes all over my apartment—I didn’t really give myself much time to unpack.”
“Where do you live?” Elizabeth asked.
“Here in DC. How about you ladies?”
“Maddy and I both live in Arlington—we’re like a block away from each other,” Marissa said, taking a sip of her iced tea.
“I’m out in the suburbs,” Elizabeth explained.
“Where’s Arlington?” Travis asked, looking between Marissa and me.
As Marissa explained the geography of the area to Travis, I thought about how funny it was that Marissa and I lived so close to each other and hadn’t even realized it at first. Arlington, VA was a small city just across the Potomac River from DC, with around 200,000 people. Lots of young professionals lived there because they liked the urban environment, and it was an easy commute into the city. I had a one-bedroom apartment in the Courthouse area of Arlington. Marissa lived in a different building there with a roommate, an old friend of hers from high school. After Marissa had started working here, we rode the same metro line home one night after happy hour and realized that we were practically neighbors.
Elizabeth and her husband had a house farther out in the suburbs. She’d invited a group of our coworkers over one night last summer for a barbeque, and we’d spent the evening out on her patio while her husband grilled hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone. Marissa and I had brought the ingredients to make margaritas, and we all had a fun time. We had joked with Elizabeth that she was middle-aged now that she had a husband and a mortgage, but she was actually only 30. Although she was usually serious at the office, she loosened up a bit after work whenever we went out to happy hours or other events.
“Oh, and you’re not going to tease me this time about living so far from DC?” Elizabeth asked with a smile when neither of us commented about her living out in suburbia.
“Not this time,” Marissa said, glancing at me with a grin. I laughed, and Travis looked down at me in amusement.
“All right, what was that look about?” Travis asked with a wry smile.
“Oh, we just like to joke around with Elizabeth—what with her being in her thirties, having a husband, a mortgage,” I said, ticking off reasons on my fingers.
“But she knows that we love her,” Marissa concluded, giving Elizabeth a small hug around the shoulders as the rest of us laughed.
“So you and your husband own a house?” Travis asked.
“Yes. We just bought it two years ago. Marissa and Maddy thought that was quite responsible of me, having a mortgage and all,” Elizabeth joked.
“That is quite responsible. It must be because you’re in your thirties,” he said, turning to me with a grin as
he emphasized the last part.
“I’m not in my thirties,” I protested, blushing.
“I figured you weren’t,” he said with a smile. “And neither of you are married?” Travis asked, looking first at me and then at Marissa.
“Nope,” I replied.
“No, certainly not,” Marissa said, shaking her head.
Elizabeth and I looked at each other and laughed, while Travis raised his eyebrows questioningly. “I guess you’re not either?” Marissa asked, pointing to the empty ring finger on his left hand.
“I’m definitely single,” he said.
The waitress arrived with our food, and we spent the next few minutes in silence as we enjoyed our meals. I noticed that Travis politely kept his left arm in his lap, not on the table accidentally elbowing me throughout the meal, as I’d seen so many other guys my age do. He did seem to have very good manners. I took a sip of my diet coke but kept watch of him out of the corner of my eye.
“This is really good,” Travis said, taking another bite of his lasagna.
“I always order the lasagna when we come here,” I said. “It’s definitely the best.”
“You guys will have to tell me the good places to go around here since I’m new in town. I want the inside scoop,” he said with a smile.
“Of course we will,” Elizabeth said. “We go out to happy hours after work a lot. You should come out with us.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Travis replied.
“Oh, you should come skiing with us this weekend!” Marissa said excitedly. “Elizabeth, her husband, Mike, Maddy, and I are going.”
“I am?” I asked, looking up at her in confusion. Elizabeth had been talking about going skiing with her husband for weeks. I knew that she had invited Marissa along, but they both skied regularly and knew that I had no real interest in learning how. I was surprised that Marissa had just invited Travis, who we barely knew, to come skiing with them. Then again, he was new in town and had just asked us about stuff to do around here. Maybe she was just trying to be polite.
“Who’s Mike?” Travis asked as I was looking confusedly at Marissa.
“Yes, you are,” Marissa said firmly, looking at me.
“Mike’s the new guy that Marissa is dating,” Elizabeth explained to Travis.
“Marissa, I don’t know how to ski,” I said with a laugh. “You guys won’t have any fun if I’m there slowing you down.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. Travis is coming too, right?”
“Sure, it sounds great,” Travis said easily. “Definitely better than unpacking all those moving boxes.”
I glanced over at him as he spoke. He looked very athletic, so I was sure that he’d have no trouble skiing. Plus, he was from New York. He probably grew up on the slopes and skied with his family or friends every weekend. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to embarrass myself learning how to ski in front of him. Actually, I didn’t think that I wanted to learn how to ski in front of any of them.
“So, you have to come, Maddy,” Marissa concluded. “It will be like a team bonding thing. And we’ll all help teach you how to ski.”
“Uh, I don’t know….” I said, my voice trailing off. Aside from the skiing part, the trip could be fun. Maybe I could go ice skating or snow tubing instead while they were off whizzing down the black diamond runs. And didn’t ski lodges have toasty fireplaces to sit by? I could always relax there, sipping hot chocolate and reading. I wouldn’t mind waiting around while the rest of them skied. They’d have to come back for lunch or breaks at some point. Plus, this seemed to be turning into some kind of couples’ trip, which meant that I might get the chance to spend some time alone with Travis and get to know him a little bit.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Travis said in his deep, warm voice, looking over at me with a smile. “I’ve been skiing since I was a kid.” Of course I thought. Mike probably knew how to ski, too, so I’d be the odd one out. But Travis had just volunteered to help me….
“I think you’d have fun,” Elizabeth said.
“Yes, you totally would,” Marissa said, nodding in agreement.
“Okay, I’ll come, too,” I finally agreed.
“Yay!” Marissa said, clapping her hands together. This time Elizabeth and I exchanged amused glances, but Travis just laughed.
The waitress came back with our bill, and Elizabeth pulled out her corporate credit card. “This one is on the expense account, since it’s Travis’s welcome lunch.”
“Great, thank you,” Travis said.
“Thanks Elizabeth,” I said.
Marissa chimed in, thanking both Elizabeth and Travis. “You know, for joining the team so we could all go out to lunch.”
“No problem,” he said with a laugh, sliding out of the booth. “This was fun.” As I got to my feet, I saw that he had already taken my coat off the hook. As he stood there holding it, I noticed that he towered above me, and I wondered how tall he was—definitely over six feet.
“Here you go, Maddy,” he said, handing my coat to me.
“Thanks.” I took it from him and slipped it on as his dark eyes met mine.
The four of us slowly walked back to the office, no one particularly eager to get back to work. We talked about the logistics for the weekend. Elizabeth and her husband had a large SUV that could seat six, so we decided that it might be easier for them to drive. Marissa, Travis, and I agreed to meet at Marissa’s apartment on Saturday morning and then drive out to Elizabeth’s house together. They all seemed really excited to be going skiing, and I silently wondered what exactly I was getting myself into.
Chapter 2
“You could sign up for a lesson if you’re worried,” Marissa said helpfully as we pulled into the ski resort on Saturday morning. She turned around to peer at me, bundled up in her light pink parka, hood already pulled over her head. Her blonde hair peeked out from beneath the fabric, and her blue eyes were wide and sincere. She and Mike were sitting in the middle of the SUV, Elizabeth and her husband, Steve, were up front, while Travis and I were nestled in the very back. Marissa had been chattering the entire way, evidently excited either by the prospect of skiing or spending the day with Mike—I couldn’t tell which. Still, it had been nice to have her stories to distract me.
I wondered if my worry was that obvious. I’d tried to make casual conversation with everyone that morning, but the closer we got to the resort, the more the anxiety built up inside me. How did I ever let them talk me into this? I didn’t know the first thing about skiing. I didn’t even have the right attire. Marissa and I had gone shopping one night after work so that I could buy some ski-appropriate clothes. While I did already have a blue parka, I’d picked up some waterproof grey ski pants, long underwear, and rugged black gloves. Marissa had lent me an extra pair of ski goggles, and I would rent skis and boots at the resort.
The five others had been trying to tell me that I had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t too sure though, since they’d all been skiing for years. They probably had forgotten how hard it was when you were brand new to the sport.
“Yeah, don’t worry Maddy,” Mike added, turning so that he was looking at me as well. “Usually the lessons are really helpful for beginners.”
I nodded and swallowed, still feeling a little uneasy.
“I can’t wait to go skiing!” Marissa said excitedly, clutching Mike’s arm.
“Me too, babe,” he said, turning back toward her and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
Mike had turned out to be a nice guy—he was tall, with dark curly hair, and worked in marketing at a firm down the street from our office. I hadn’t found out how he and Marissa had met, but no doubt it had been somewhere near work. Between happy hours, lunches out, and morning coffee runs, Marissa seemed to meet a lot of new people. Mike and Travis had gotten along well enough as we all headed out to Elizabeth’s that morning. Of course, although I didn’t know Travis very well, it seemed like he would get along with anyone—he was easygoing and friendly
all the time.
Mike had been joking around with Marissa the entire ride. She kept playfully elbowing him or punching him in the arm as we drove along the winding mountain roads. “Kids, settle down!” Elizabeth had even teased at one point. Mike appeared to be a bit of a jock, and although he was a little too macho for my tastes, Marissa was clearly infatuated with him. And of the various guys that she’d dated, he was certainly one of the men better suited to her. Not everyone could keep up with her enthusiasm and adventurous spirit, but his personality fit the bill.
“I’ll come with you to the skiing lesson,” Travis said, his voice deep, evidently trying to make me feel better.
“Thanks, but you don’t have to,” I said, smiling gratefully at him. “You’ll probably just be really bored.”
“I don’t mind,” he insisted, giving me an easy smile. “I wouldn’t just send you off by yourself when you’ve never even skied before.”
“Okay,” I said shrugging. “If you’re sure….”
“Really, I’m sure,” he said. As I took in his warm smile I thought that he certainly didn’t look like he minded having to suffer through a beginner’s lesson with me. I hoped he wouldn’t regret not hitting the slopes right away with the others. Although I was worried about my capabilities on skis, I was actually glad to have someone that I knew offering to help me. I wasn’t sure what exactly a skiing class entailed, but I imagined the instructor would be busy with other students as well. Besides, I’d only been with Travis in group situations, and I had to admit that I was looking forward to spending a little time alone with him.
First Sight Page 2
